Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki, presented by Progressive Insurance, had a productive 16th round in Denver, Colorado. Brandon Hartranft continues his progression on the year as he moves further into the top ten for series points. Justin Bogle was riding great all day until a mechanical issue made things difficult for him. Adam Enticknap had his best qualifying all year with 16th place but fell in the LCQ and missed the main event.
Brandon Hartranft (#41) – finished 11th overall in the 450cc premiere class.
Brandon Hartranft #41: Another career day for the young 450 premiere class rider who moved into 8th place for series points. Very solid heat and main event races from Hartranft. He finished 5th in his heat. Brandon got a bad start in the main but quickly battled his way up into 11th place, where he finished the race. Hartranft holds a 3-point gap in the 9th place and looks to keep it in the final round next Saturday in Salt Lake City.
“Felt really good today,” said Brandon Hartranft. “Heat race went good. I got a smooth start and put it in there. For the main event, I just butchered the start, and I picked an outside gate, hoping to get a good rut, and I got a bad start. That upset me because I shouldn’t have been that far back. I fought my way back to 11th. I’m battling for 8th place in series points. I am looking forward to the next round.”
Justin Bogle #19 – looks to finish out strong in the series final.
Justin Bogle #19: Unfortunate night for Bogle, who was riding well all day. Justin attacked the track quickly in qualifying, making it on top of the board for times at one point. In the main event, he got a decent start and ran in 10th before a mechanical issue made it very difficult for Justin to continue racing at his pace, and he dropped back in the pack. Bogle was able to ride thru it and finish the race.
“Rough day for me in Denver,” said Justin Bogle. “Practice started out pretty good. I felt comfortable and got up to speed quickly. Then everything unraveled when the important stuff started to happen. Not a great heat race for me today. I had a fall got-together with another guy. I barely made it into the main. The main event was pretty much a wash. I had a mechanical issue with the bike. It made it tuff to finish the race. We are healthy, and we will try again next weekend.”
Adam Enticknap (#722) – qualified 16th overall heading into the afternoon show.
Adam Enticknap #722: Rough day for the fan-favorite, “Seven-Deuce-Deuce.” He crashed three separate times throughout the day. He qualified his best all year with 16th place and was riding well despite all that. In both races, Adam struggled off the gate and had to work his way up the pack. He missed the main event in his heat race by two positions. In the LCQ, working his way thru the pack, Enticknap fell, going for a pass on the inside. This crash dropped him out of the qualifying position and ended his night early.
“It was a pretty good day to start out,” said Adam Enticknap. “I ended up qualifying 16th, which for me was good. Unfortunately, I just had some bad starts. I have been trying to work on them during the week, but I haven’t been able to get it right yet. My team made some great adjustments to my bike throughout the day to help me, but I just couldn’t get it done. I made a mistake, trying to get to the inside to make a pass, and it just slid out from under me, and I swapped out. That was the end of my day. I am looking forward to Salt Lake.”
Brandon Hartranft (#41) – finished 11th overall in the 450cc premiere class.
“Rough day for the team,” said team manager Dustin Pipes. “We didn’t ride to our potential. Adam had three big falls today, which put him behind the eight-ball. Right when we started the day, Justin had an electrical issue that he tried to ride thru, but it kept getting worse. It was a real bummer because Justin rode great all day, all thru practice. He was top of the board at one point. It was looking to be a good day for him. It sucks it ended this way. We will regroup as a team and do better for him so he can finish the season on a high note. Brandon is locked in a pretty tight points battle for 8th up 3 points. For Brandon to be in 8th for points is a big deal, he has shown a lot of growth this year. We are going to give it our all next weekend and hope to finish strong.”
Team Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Suzuki, presented by Progressive Insurance, looks to finish out the final round of the series this Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah. Brandon Hartranft heads into the final round battling for 8th with a 3-point edge on the 9th place. With all three riders pushing to finish the series strong, intensity is expected to be at an all-time high next round. Qualifying begins at 2 PM EST on Peacock. Racing will start at 8 PM EST on Peacock and CNBC.